The Dunnigan Groundwater Recharge Project, led by Dunnigan Water District, launched in early 2022 as a pilot project with the diversion of about 200 AF from the Tehama-Colusa Canal into Buckeye Creek. The project has successfully expanded to include on-farm recharge and seasonal wetland habitat. The project now plans to recharge 5,000 AF per year into the aquifer and provide 500 acres of shorebird habitat. 

In September 2023, DWR announced its final funding recommendation for the SGMA Implementation Grant, awarding the Dunnigan Area Recharge Program $1.18 million. With this funding, the project will continue to be implemented and refined as additional feasibility studies are completed. New monitoring equipment will be installed to quantify project benefits, including up to four stream gauges on Buckeye and Dunnigan Creeks and up to 20 additional groundwater monitoring sites that will measure groundwater level, temperature, and electrical conductivity.

Click here to read an article from the LA Times. 

See below for an overview video of the Dunnigan Groundwater Recharge Project. 

Gates are opened to allow water into the recharge field

Gates are opened to allow water into the recharge field

Flooded fields provide wetland habitat

Water flows at "trickle" rates down Buckeye Creek

Water flows at "trickle" rates down Buckeye Creek

Water flows at "trickle" rates down Buckeye Creek

DWR staff visit the project

Water flows at "trickle" rates down Buckeye Creek